I really had no clue you could freeze lemons! Every year I buy a box of lemons and juice for hours, making a sticky, lemony mess in the process. And then there are the exuberant purchases of the giant bag of limes from Costco or one more bag of lemons that inevitably go bad in the fridge. It never occurred to me to just pop the whole lemons into the freezer.

Last year I didn’t have time to juice all of the lemons I had purchased for our cafe, so I put them into freezer bags and dropped them into the freezer. They stayed there for months, because we were living in temporary quarters, and we closed our cafe. I finally got a bag out, and Carolina sliced one open to use. It was almost as if they had been freshly purchased. What we had was pure frozen goodness, easy to squeeze and ready for most any recipe.

FREEZE LEMONS, AND ENJOY THE ADVANTAGES

• Frozen lemons last a very long time.
• They’re easy to squeeze, once defrosted. Why? Those little sacs of goodness burst when frozen, so the lemon half gives up its juices willingly.
• You can keep lemons on hand without worrying about them ruining in the fridge or drying out.

How to Freeze? Soak your lemons if they aren’t organic (see note below). Place in a freezer bag and place in freezer. If you want the zest, zest first. I’ve tried to zest the thawed lemons to no avail.

Why not just squeeze and freeze? Great question! I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have time to squeeze a whole bag of lemons (or limes) or the freezer space for precariously placed ice cube trays filled with juice.

How to use your frozen lemons? Simple. Just take the lemon out of the freezer, allow to thaw, cut in half and squeeze. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have time thaw, put your lemon in a zip top bag and put in warm water. DON’T put your frozen lemon straight into water to thaw. Trust me, it will become waterlogged, and you will not be a happy camper.

A NOTE ON PURCHASING LEMONS

Organic citrus is best. Why? Citrus can be treated with fungicides, parasiticides, and disinfectants which are NOT good for us to consume. However, organic citrus can be very expensive or unavailable. If you purchase conventional lemons, let them soak in raw apple cider vinegar and water solution for about 15 minutes and rinse with water.

A FEW HEALTH BENEFITS OF LEMON JUICE

• A good boost of Vitamin C
• Aids digestion
• Helps to dissolve kidney stones
• Source of vitamins and minerals
• Helps prevent scurvy (in case you’re considering becoming an old-timey sailor with poor rations)
• For a few more specifics, see this ARTICLE by Dr. Mercola.

One of my kids saw this picture and asked, “Is that mold??” Yep, mama’s posting pictures of moldy lemons. No, child, actually it’s frost from having been swiped from the freezer and made the object of a lemon photo shoot…

A FEW IDEAS FOR USING LEMON JUICE

• We love to make vinaigrettes using lemon juice!
• Add to tuna to take away any fishy taste and to add a twang.
• Add to marinades especially for roast chicken.
• Lemon curd. Yum and double yum.

One of my favorite remedies from childhood~honey and lemon for a sore throat.

Blissfully Yours,

Darie and Carolina

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